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Serena Millicent's Life Story
Authors * PandaPrincess7 Introduction This story is a fanfiction of Once Upon a Time. This is one part of two prequel stories to to my RP, The Millicent Life.The other part is Evangeline's Secret BTW. Description This is Serena's life story in one long and twisted tale, told by herself. She'll leave notes for you about what the certain chapter is about. The companion book to this is Evangeline's Secret, told by Serena's aunt, Evangeline. Like I said above, this story will be told as if Serena wrote this herself. Hope y'all enjoy this story! ~Panda Screenshot_2019-09-04 Image OUAT - Cora Regina Book of Spells replica I made by paulmacgek on .png|Cover A Note From Serena My life has not been smooth. At all. Let's be honest, family fights and feuds are normal. Every family has a bit of drama going around here and there. Normal fights are who gets the TV remote or who gets to wear the black heels. But Millicent family feuds are stronger than that. If one member gets in a fight with another, it's a war. But what would you do if one member had recently learned that they had a place in society so powerful that they could destroy the face of the Earth any day? Well, welcome to my world... Chapter 1: The Beginning'' '''Serena's Notes:' So, this is basically the beginning of my life and the first few weeks, which eventually turned into months and years. My mother had multiple miscarriages before Jolie and I were born, which over-joyed both of my parents. Around two years later, they were blessed with my brother, Henry. Another two years went by and they were blessed with a second set of twins, my brother Roland and youngest sister Caroline. I hardly remember these stories, obviously for my birth, so my aunt, Evangeline had to help me! The birth of Jolie and Serena (Me): "Oh, Robin, aren't they beautiful?" Mother asked. "Most definitely!" He exclaimed. "What are you going to name these two little angels?" My grandmother asked, playing with my sister's tiny fist. "They will be presented later tonight. Two little daughters." "I have no idea." Mother replied and sighed. "Mom, please, just don't put any more pressure on me. I've just lost about a quarter gallon of blood and these two weren't supposed to be delivered until August! But here I am. May 25th, 1955, the birth of my daughters." "I can name them if you want," Evangeline told me. "If that'll take some pressure off you?" "You are the angelic sister-in-law I was hoping for." She eplied. "Okay, the green-eyed one looks like an Irene, Serena, Angelina or Adriana." My aunt decided. "What about Serena?" My grandfather asked, taking me from my mother's chest. "She is being so quiet and Serena actually means 'serene and calm'." "I like it," Father agreed. "I think her middle name should be Grace." "Too boring," My grandmother and aunt said in unison. "Graciana." "I have to agree," Mother added. "Graciana sounds so much more royal and grand, while Grace sounds like she was born to a commoner." "Fine, fine. What about the other child?" "I was thinking Dixie, Lilliana, Annabelle or Jolene." My aunt pursed her lips. "I say we should name her Jolene, but shorten it to Jolie." My grandmother added. "I've got it!" My aunt exclaimed, "Jolene Dixie "Jolie" Mills.” "Perfect." The birth of Henry: Another sibling. Really? Jolie and I were content with our family just being us, our parents, our aunts/uncles, our cousins Emma, Diana, Ruby, Dorothy and Lilith "Lily" and our grandparents. Now you're telling us about another child? We were two when Henry was born on August 15th, 1957. He didn't just scream when he came out. According to Dad, the dude mega screamed! .................. "OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T GET THIS CHILD TO STOP SCREAMING!" My grandmother screamed to all the nurses, which didn't really help matters. Even if Jolie and I were just two and still learning how to talk in complete sentences, we knew something was up. "Can I try?" Jolie asked, pulling our grandmother's long skirt. "Sure, honey." She replied, sitting my sister in a nearby chair. "Now try to rock him gently," She said kneeling, while I watched. Our baby brother slowly begins to nod off in my sister's arms, but before he was completely in dreamland, my mother came over. "Look at her," My grandmother whispered. "That Jolie of yours is going to be one heck of a mom someday!" "I know," My mother replies. "Jo's been practicing with her dolls. Serena's been with her father while he trains the guards. "Isn't that dangerous?" "No, the retired captain watches her while Robin trains the new guards. Well, the captain and his four-year-old son Derek. I trust them a lot and I wouldn't mind if Serena and Derek got married some day..." "Regina Maria Mills! Your daughter is two years old, don't be thinking about setting her up just yet. I waited until you were about twelve and then I started considering my options." "Mom, I'm not! Serena doesn't play with her dolls or think about motherhood. So, Robin and I give her dolls to Jolie." "Well, what do you get her?" "We get her some small and delicate jewelry from the vault. When she gets older, Robin wants to get her a bow and arrow." I saw my grandmother sigh with disappointment. At the time, I had no idea what she meant, but in eleven years I would find out. "Should we name the child?" Aunt Evangeline asked. "Wise idea my sister!" My father agreed. "Henry!" I squeaked. "Henry, as in your grandfather?" Grandpa asked, throwing me up in the air. "No, Henry," My grandmother scolded him sweetly. "I think our little Siren wants to name him Henry, after you. Is that right?" I nodded furiously. Jolie said: "Daniel! Middle name!" Mom recalled this for us later: "Daniel was my fiance before I met your father. He was the best. But when he died, I thought I lost everything. But then I found Robin and it turned my world around!" I faintly recall them kissing which disgusted me and my sister. "Henry Daniel Mills, welcome to a life of chaos." The birth of Caroline and Roland: Jolie and I were four and Henry was two when our final two siblings came into the world on November 21st, 1959 . Jolie and I were ecstatic because we finally had someone to relate to and Henry was excited for another boy like him. I faintly remember that when Roland came out, he was fine. But when Caroline came out, she was in dire circumstances. .................. "Is she going to be okay?" Father asked Dr. Victor. "I have no idea, Your Majesties," He replied, shaking his head. "This little girl is in such... I don't want to say it, but I suggest you name her now." From what my four year old brain could understand, my little sister had a defect with her esophagus, which Grandma explained to me is the tube that connects the mouth to the tummy. If she couldn't swallow or digest her food, she would die. "We should name her Caroline, after my mother." Father announced. "She wanted to be here for the birth of Serena and Jolie." My grandmother died two weeks before I was born. "I also think the boy should be named Roland, because when Marian and I were together around the time you and Daniel were also together, we had a son named Roland, but he died. "What about Jacqueline for her middle name, after my grandmother?" Mother asked, hugging my aunt Evangeline close. "She may have had the reputation of being a hard-head, but she was truly a sweetheart." I recall my grandmother coming over to comfort my mother as she cried. Of course, us kids didn't really know what the heck was going on, but we saw the dire circumstances surrounding the issue. "Wait, Serena could possibly heal her!" My aunt exclaimed. "Regina, you, Cora and I have been teaching her magic for the last year, she could be capable of performing a simple healing spell. While it won't cure it completely, it might at least give Caroline some lease of life?!" I was hesitant and I could tell my mother didn't really want to have me, as a four year old, performing such a complicated spell. Spells like that took years and years, possibly decades to learn. But here I was, at age four, about to perform one of my many magical feats. "I'll let her try, but if it fails, don't be to surprised." My mother announced. She led me to the long wooden table, covered in test tubes and beakers, to my tiny baby sister who lay sleeping and slowly dying. "Place your hand over her and focus, a golden glow should come out of your hand." My grandmother explained. I did just as she said, placing my hand over my sister's abdomen and thought. I actually didn't have to focus that much for a golden beam to come out of my hand. Everyone watched and held their breath for the glow to stop. Victor waltzed over to my sister picked her up and took her into separate room for more testing to see if the spell worked. 1 hour later... We became so bored in the hour of waiting that when he finally came out, we were all relieved and wait for the answer. But he looked terrified... "How is she?" My grandmother asked. "Tell me now, or I'll ring your neck!" Victor looked at her with sheer terror and finally stuttered out: "Healed. Perfectly healthy without complications from the spell." "How is that possible?" My parents finally stuttered out. "She's only four and has been using magic for about a year." Everyone's eyes widened so much that I though that they would pop out. .................. And that was the start to my magical career. Years later, I would be told a harrowing truth of where this gift came from and how to use it. Chapter 2: Years Later Serena's Notes: '1 Oh.. where do I start with this place in my life? I was much older, around eleven and much more mature than people gave me credit for. I was training to become the next queen with Jolie, she was there in case something horrific happened and I died, so she was take the crown. I was also diagnosed with Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), which made my sleeping cycle non-existent. But another set of news I got in the winter of 1976 was definitely a different case... '.................. It was Christmas of 1976. In the Enchanted Forest, Christmas time was the most magical time of the year. There was snow on the ground, I could hear carols coming from the town and the people were putting up our large tree in the entryway. But I couldn't help. It was understandable that Mom wanted me to stay calm and refined because she and I were going out to the town to help people, while Dad continued to train the guards and Aunt Evangeline and Grandma Cora ruled the decorating process. I so desperately wanted to go out and play in the snow with my siblings and Derek. But at the time, I saw Derek as nothing more than a friend who was about two years older than I was. Back to the present, I was getting ready for our little outing. I was already dressed in my long ruby red velvet dress, which kept me warm in these cold winter months. I also put on my black leather boots and ivory cape with black fox fur trimming around the hood and edges. "Sere," My mother asked, coming into my room. "You ready?" "Yes, when are we going?" "Now, get the gifts for the children." I went to my closet where I stored a few gifts, made by Geppetto, the royal wood maker. Well, that's what I thought his title was. .................. "Why do we do this every year?" I asked while we were still in the carriage. "Because," My mother explained. "Not all of the families in this kingdom are as fortunate as we are. Not everyone is born into royalty or some other form of nobility. My friend, Lady Victoria was a seamstress before she married Lord James and had your friend, Brice." "Brice's family discovered Golden Dust!" I replied. "Archie told me that!" "Yes.. Archie, he's a weird one..." .................. "Her Royal Majesty, Regina Maria Mills and her daughter, Crown Princess Serena Graciana Mills!" Some dude announced as we stepped out of the black and cream carriage. My mother politely waved to everyone in the crowd and smiled. I didn't know what to do, so I did the same. A group of girls around my age came racing over to me and asked. "Do you want to play jacks with us?" They all gave me friendly smiles. I hesitantly looked to my mother, who gave me an encouraging smile as she was also pulled away by another group of children. "So what's the palace like?" One asked as we sat down on a blanket and started to play. "It's pretty cool," I replied. "My brother once got stuck in a hole that my father put in the wall!" The girls started laughing loudly. I guess it was loud enough for my mother to come over from another group to ours. "I was telling him about the time Roland got stuck in that hole Daddy punched in the wall!" "Oh yes..." She smiled. "That was yet a interesting day..." .................. "Come again Serena!" One of the girls yelled and waved as the carriage drove away. I thrust about half my body out the window and waved. I climbed back into the carriage and sat on the black leather seat. My mother and I sat there in silence for a little while, until she said: "You know, that's how your grandmother was raised." "What?" I asked, turning my head from the window. "She was born as "The Miller's Daughter", and she hated it. She said your great-grandfather was always drunk and your great-grandmother was dead by the time she realized how dire her situation was." "I never knew Grandma Cora was born like those girls." I replied. "She seems so poised and refined, like Aunt Evangeline." "She is, but your other great-grandfather was very disapproving, harsh and judgemental towards her, but that only motivated her to become the lady she was meant to be . But she was also extremely judgmental about the boys of the court. But when she realized I was dating Daniel, she flipped a lid. Soon after, she viciously murdered him right before my eyes. I knew it was for the best, she didn't want me, the future queen, to end up like she was" "What is her opinion on me?" I asked, fearing the answer. "She just wants you to be happy. Nearly two or three decades later, she realizes what she did wrong with me, Zelena and Snow and doesn't want you, Jolie, Henry, Roland, Caroline, Emma or Diana to hate her. She says she'll be more accepting, but will butt in when necessary." "Well that's good!" "It is!" .................. "Serena, go to sleep!" My sister pleaded as she turned away from me and went back to sleep. She knew that sleep was a near impossible thing for me. Ever since I got diagnosed with FFI sleeping has been a bear for me. As Jolie drifted off to dreamland, I heard some rustling downstairs. But Serena, I thought, You can't hear anything! Mom cast a sound proof spell around the room so you could sleep! Out of curiosity, I got up and snuck out just to have a peak. .................. "Be quiet!" I heard my mother's voice as I floated into the room, cloaked in an invisibility spell. "She'll hear! That girl's got ears of a wolf and the eyes of a snake!" I instantly knew they were talking about me, since Mom and Dad described my eyes "Serena's eyes are like an emerald tree boa", but I didn't know why! "She is The Next!" I heard a British accent say. "I'm sorry Regina and Robin, but she has all of the traits Evangeline had!" "No," My mother insisted. "She's got long curly dark hair, emerald eyes, full lips and a tan! Evangeline's got a short choppy bleach blonde bob, pale skin, thin lips and ice colored eyes. They look nothing alike!" "No!" Another voice added. "Merlin means that Serena is showing traits that Evangeline showed when we found her as the Enchantress!" What? I was the next Enchantress? Sure, I am pretty advanced in the world of magic. I had been playing with my mother's potion ingredients since I was around three months old. But I officially started learning magic under Grandma, Mom and Evangeline about seven years ago. I couldn't take it any longer, I removed my spell and said: "What do you mean?" My parents looked at me straight in the eyes, I could tell that I wasn't supposed to be here, but curiosity killed the cat. Besides, my medical condition made it hard for me to sleep and this was my normal routine. "Serena Graciana Millicent, get out of here." My mother hissed like a cat. I could see I have five seconds to run out or I would be dead. "Regina," A man with skin the color of hot chocolate and brown eyes said to my mother. "Let her stay." I looked over to my parents and saw my father's extremely tight grip on my mother. "Serena, my name is Merlin and this is my sister, Morgan Le Fay." He said, bringing a woman with dark curly hair like mine and bright ice colored eyes. "So your from that story with the dude from Camelot and the round table?" I asked, my voice thick with suspicion and my eyebrow raised. He laughed and bowed to me. "Yes, at your service," Then he turned to my mother. "Regina, you've gotten this one well educated." I crossed my arms over my thin black nightgown. "What do you mean I'm The Next? Do you mean the next Enchantress?" My eyes started morphing to the lime shade they turn when I get angry. Morgan looked to me and saw the morphing of the shades and the glow coming from them. She turned to Merlin and said. "That further confirms our suspicion, we need to take her, now." Merlin nodded in agreement. "To where?" I asked. "To the Redvale Mountains to train and protect you. The training will probably take around eight years." She explained. "Protect me from what? Train me for what?" "Darkness. It wants you, The Next. You need to be in a safer location while your parents are fighting to preserve the realm for the future dynasty. But day to day, they won’t know if it will be the last day of the Mills dynasty or not. With the sudden rising of dark magic, who knows when our last day will be." "I want to help," I said. "I am the future of this realm, I need to be here." "You will be, you will be training with me and Morgana and we will grow your magical capabilities beyond your wildest dreams. You are a vital point of this plan, I promise. Now pack up, we leave in the morning, and in secret." "Someone should go with her," My father said. "So she can feel closer to home." ”I’m afraid that‘s not possible, Your Majesties. Serena shall be with us in solitude for eight years. She will come home, yes, but rarely. It will also be with us, so we can continue her lessons.“ .................. At around eight PM, I was ready. We would leave at nine so we could at least make it to the outskirts of Sherwood or if we were lucky, even make it to the sea, so we could sail for Neverland. It may have made Merlin and Morgana tired, but for my safety, it was safer to travel during the night than the day, so we wouldn't be caught. Mom and Dad already informed them about my FFI and they said they would make a potion that might help. "You ready?" Merlin whispered as the footman loaded the carriage up with my things, by morning, I would be gone. "Yes, let me say one last goodbye." I ran over to hug my parents as we squeezed, my father said. "Remember the arrows?" "Yes, and the sword, dagger and every other weapon I need." I moved down to my mother, who looked like a train wreck. "Remember us Serena. If we die tell our legacy!" Moving down to my aunt Evangeline, who said: "Remember the blood that runs through your veins. Fifty percent Mills, fifty percent Locksley-Hood and one-hundred percent beauty and courage.” I quickly did one last hug to everyone and one last run around the fountain in the entryway. I hopped into the carriage with ease and sat next to Morgan. When the footman driving the carriage snapped the reins, which cause the Pegasi to take off, I was anxious. At the time, that was the last time that I would see my home, my realm and family. Red-velvet-formal-evening-dress-with-long-sleeves-jojodress-jelg0096 1 1024x1024.jpg|Serena’s red dress Merlin.png|Merlin Morgana.png|Morgan Chapter 3: Long Travels Serena’s Notes: Words can not describe the boredom of this journey. We traveled for about five nights one after another and living on tavern food was not very appealing or nutritious, so we all agreed on splitting the small amount of food my parents sent along with us. I was mainly awake throughout this journey. but sometimes I would have to drink a potion that would knock me out. But now that I can mix up the potion, it wouldn’t work. I started becoming immune to the ingredients when I was twelve, since I had to take them everyday. Back to the actual journey, we got robbed once, but with magic, we saved ourselves and all was good. .................. ”We there yet?“ I asked. “No, we have to pass over Oz first.” Morgan explained, not looking up from her book. “Oz, where my aunt Zelena was abandoned, because my grandmother didn’t want a child yet...” I sighed. “That’s where she was abandoned!" Merlin said, filing in the spot on his crossword. Merlin still loves doing crosswords to this day, he finds them relaxing. Pesonally, they give me anxiety. "Are you doing a cross word based on my family?" I asked, laughing. "No..." He said. "But if you could tell me the beverage that your Aunt Snow, Emma and Henry all like, that would be helpful!" "Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon." I replied. "It's two AM and we are in a flying carriage, flying over Sherwood and you're doing a crossword?" I was puzzled. Suddenly, an arrow came through the glass window and shattered it. I went over and picked it up without fear and examined it. It was black with a silver head and vane. The head was engraved with the symbol of Lady Charmline. "Charmline." I hissed, turning to my mentors. "She's been trying to take over the kingdom for a few years now. Get me my bow and arrows." Merlin hesitantly handed me several arrows and my bow, which belonged to my father. I began to place an arrow on the bow when the footman turned to me and asked: "What will that do?" "This isn't any old bow," I said, picking up the bow and then picked up an arrow. "These aren't any old arrows. Someone grab my feet." Morgan and Merlin looked at each other. "I'll take the roof." Morgan told her brother. "I'll take her feet then." Morgana began climbing out of the shattered window and onto the top of the carriage, her black dress whipping around in the window. On the inside, I flung myself over the edge while Merlin grabbed my ankles. "You could've worn boots without heels?" "Sorry, no can do!" I replied, trying to find the aim. "Down and to the right." Morgan instructed, while she began conjuring a fireball so I could see and so she could throw. I moved the arrow down and a little to the right and released it. I heard yelling from down blow and more arrows came up towards us. I loaded my bow again and again until the arrows stopped coming. Morgan and I climbed back into the carriage as I put my bow on the seat and held my hand out of the window and the arrows I had previously shot came back into my hand. "Is that..?" Morgan asked her eyes glowing. "Robin Hood's Enchanted Bow and Arrows. The arrow never misses it's target." I replied. "Gave it to me when I was nine. I also have Charming's Sword, The Dark One's Dagger, Cora's Spell Book and my mother's Poisoned Apples. Things the legends speak of." The two looked from me to the bow and back and forth for about a minute before I faintly heard Morgan whisper. "This is the one the prophecy speaks of. " "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm the one to save us from the Darkness! No big deal, I've fought off a bear, wolf and lion all at the same time." "No, you are not just The Next. There's something more to you. Something in your blood." Morgana's eyes began to glow a light icy blue color, kind of like mine when I got angry. But she seemed calm about it, but this was freaking me out, but I tried not to show it. Instead, I asked. "What causes my eyes to glow? Mine glow like that when I start getting mad at my parents or siblings, but they also morph to a lime shade. Morgan's are just staying her natural icy color." "You and Morgan have a condition called Bougueux Glow," Merlin explained. "The first person recorded, Tuck Bougueux had it too. But you also have another rare condition called The Carcassis Morph. The Morph is only recorded in about fifty people all across the realms, most of them are young or dead. The fact that you have these two rare eye condition and the beautiful and rich color of your irises is a rare trio. Does your twin have any of these traits? Because that would be a rare sight." "No," I said shaking my head. "Jolie only has rich sea blue eyes, but her eyes don't morph shades or glow. They do look darker, depending on the lighting and what color she's wearing, but that's about it." "Okay, tell us more about your home life." "Well, saying crazy and fun would be an understatement..." .....One day later..... "We're here," Morgan said, looking out the window. "The Redvale Mountains." We landed in front of a house that was dark and looked like my childhood home. It had broken windows, old curtains whipping in the winter winds and broken wood panels. "Seems like home." I said, while raising my eyebrow. "The top of my Enchanted Forest palace looks like a bunch of swords that are bent, and then glued in place to make a pointy top roof. So this doesn't scare me." "Well, that's not the real exterior." Merlin said, smiling mischievously. "What? I am so confused.." Merlin and Morgana put their hands in a position that was very... weird to say the least. But that allowed them to take down the barrier surrounding the place and it showed a much warmer and more homely exterior." "Wow." "Now, unpack and change, you smell like tavern, arrow heads, blood and dust." "Where's my room though?" "It's on the second floor, it's the eighth to your left." Well that'll be confusing. .................. I went to the second floor, via teleportation and counted eight doors on my left and opened it. I walked into a wonderland of red and black. There was a twin bed with similar sheets to my home bed. While it wasn't a canopy, it looked soft and I could probably adjust. The floor was a marble and there was a the softest looking rug at the bottom of the bay window. A blonde maid came in and introduced herself as Victoria. From what I remember, Victoria was a kind girl, but she didn't really show her emotions or express what she was thinking. She later betrayed us in the biggest way. "Hello, Princess Serena, I see you'll be living here for the next eight years. My name is Victoria and I'll be your maid for these next eight years." I couldn't say hello, but I could only stare at the massive crystal chandelier on the ceiling. "How many crystals are there on this thing?" "About a hundred thousand." "Really?" I said, thinking about the crystal chandelier in my parent's room. "My parent's have one that's got around nine hundred thousand crystals." "Right, I need to get you changed and bathed, because, no offense, you stink!" "I like to be outdoors a lot, so get used to it!" I said as I walked into the marble bathroom. .....Thirty minutes later..... I slipped into a long black velvet dress and my black leather boots, tried to brushed out my damp curls, but gave up soon and I also put on a little bit of pink-red lip rogue. I ruffled my hair one last time and ran out of the room. As I walked into the massive dining room and sat down at the table, which was basically a big slab of marble on four wooden pegs, it was still pretty. I also didn't know why three people needed to sit at a table that could fit five-thousand. "Why do we need such a big table?" I asked. "Because Merlin and I are too lazy to shrink it." Morgan explained, taking a bite out of some form of mystery meat. "Duck," I said while taking a bite out of the mystery meat. "You don't like it?" Merlin asked. "No, it fine. I actually prefer all of my meats honey baked, my birds roasted and my fish marinated." "I'll make note of that." Morgan conjured a piece of yellowed paper, a quill and a pot of ink. "Tell me more of your eating preferences." She pushed back a piece of hair behind her ear." "Well, for starters, I'm lactose intolerant, been that way for about two years. So no milk, cheese, ice cream, etc. with cow milk. I do like almond and soy milk though, I hate goat's milk, it's a texture thing." "How do you live?" Merlin asked, collapsing back into his chair. "I don't know. Chocolate is my favorite dessert overall, but I prefer red velvet for cake flavor and cream cheese frosting over buttercream. I hate liver, eggplant, gourd,cilantro, beets, tuna, licorice, brussel sprouts and candy corn. It's just all in the taste and texture." "All of those are actually pretty common food dislikes," Morgan explained. "I personally don't like cantaloupe..." "Cantaloupe is great!" Merlin and I jinxed and high-fived. "Candy corn," Merlin said. "Perfection!" "Yuck, gross..." I replied. "Tell me more about you, your life before we snatched you from your family." "Well... sit down, grab a snack because there's going to be a long road ahead of you..." Screenshot_2020-01-02 Enchanted Arrow - Google Search.png|The arrow that was shot through the carriage window wp4679830.jpg|The real exterior is hidden behind the spell (See next picture over.) There is one whole floor, dedicated to magical use and training. zsofia-dankova-by-zsofia-dankova-zamok-dvorets-noch-tuchi-ar.jpg|The palace's disguise exterior luxury-black-red-bedroom-designs.jpg|Serena's room VictoriaUndercover.png|Victoria... in disguise! Chapter 4: Moving In Serena's Notes: By now, you're probably wondering why my parents let these 2 complete strangers scoop me up and take me away to a place that I didn't even know existed! Well, they were doing it for my safety and so I could strengthen my body, mind and magic. But it was a hard process to adjust to, I remember the many nights, crying myself to sleep from loneliness, depression and fatigue. This period is when sleep was the most important, and my FFI didn't help, I would wake up feeling even worse than the day before. Now onto my mentors, Merlin was without a doubt, the more approachable one. I could go and ask him all my dumb magical questions and he would just explain everything down to a T. He was very wise, kind, slow to anger, understanding, a little silly and became my father figure over time. Morgana, started off pretty friendly, but as the training began, she became firmer and more distant. But as she saw my progress, her walls came down, when we would have alone time and talk to each other, it sounded like how a mother would talk to a daughter rather than a teacher talking to her student. But all the stability I had growing up was gone. It was replaced with constant terror, fear and too many spontaneous experiences. And I hated it. P.S. People like to tell me that when I was younger, I sounded like the Jackie Evancho of the 60's! .................. "Good morning, Serena!" Victoria said cheerfully as she pulled the covers off my body. "I'm freezing!" I said through chattering and gritted teeth. "What happened?" "The big Redvale snow," My maid explained. "Happens every year, what about in the Enchanted Forest?" "It happens nearly everyday from the start of December and until the middle of March. Three months of snow is not as fun as it seems..." "I bet, come on, let's get your hair looking like you didn't just get electrocuted." "Good luck with that. I've got my mother's hair, which is naturally in soft curls, but the price to pay for thick, long, dark, silky, shiny, smooth and soft curls is the fact they they tangle easily." Victoria just grabbed my glided brush from the old wooden vanity, climbed onto my bed and started attacking the knots. "This hair is just... beautiful!" She said, running the brush and her fingers through it. "I've never felt this level, how often do you wash it?" "I only wash it about three times a week, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, because it's just so much work to clean all this hair, I don't have much oil or sebum yet, even though I've already started slowly entering puberty. I also don't get out much, because I'm usually on my butt with my private tutors." "Well, I can see how thick this hair is... wow. Does your mother have any Spanish blood in her, because this texture and feel is definitely from Spain." "She's mainly Spanish, Italian and a little bit of Sicilian. My father is primarily English, Irish, German and a little French." "Okay, I'm just guessing you've got your hair, full lips and natural tan from your mother..." I turned my head towards her and nodded. "And holy cow! Who's eyes do you have?" "My father has pure sea blue eyes, my twin sister, Jolie has his eyes and our younger sister, Caroline also has a light teal. My brothers, Henry and Roland, have my mother's chocolate colored eyes. But honestly, I have no idea which eyes I have. Mine shine like my mothers, but have the same depth and color variety as my father's." "Well that's a puzzling case!" Victoria says as she untangles the final knot. "Done, only took five minutes. Not my best time, but it's not at all bad." "Wait, what?" I started running my fingers through my hair and felt no knots. "This is impossible! The maids at home always either pull on my hair so badly I scream and end up getting my mom to do it for me or I do it myself, but it takes an hour!" "I'm the oldest of three sisters, fair enough explanation?" Victoria and I hopped off my bed as she started making it. "Yes," I replied, pulling a cream dress out of the closet. "I'm the oldest of five. Jolie is fifteen minutes younger than I am, Henry is about two years younger. Roland and Caroline are actually also twins, Roland's older by three minutes and they are also about two years younger than him, but four years younger than me." "Big family, huh?" "Yep." I slipped behind the changing screen and slipped out of my nightgown and into the dress. "It's already been a crazy, loving and fun eleven years of life already." I stepped out to see my brown leather boots with the sheepskin lining were still out, so I just put those on and threw on my heart pendant that my mother gave me and went downstairs for breakfast. (Panda's Notes: The necklace I'm describing is the same one that Arrow wears in my RP.) .................. "Good morning," I said walking into the room, my one pair on non-heeled boots sliding against the marble flooring. "No, I did not wake up like this. The hair was done by Victoria!" "Victoria does a great job with hair, I really need her to do mine." Morgan said while chomping down on an apple. As she sat down, her amethyst colored gown's skirt flowed over her seat like a waterfall. "What's in store for today?" I asked, grabbing a banana for myself. "We are going to test you to see how much magic you have flowing through your system." Merlin explained. "I already know I have a lot." I said between bites. "Mom and my grandmother tested me back home, they said I have a lot of capability. The most dangerous one is called The Siren's Song." "Yes, The Siren's Song is very powerful, and dangerous when it is used for evil. Let me here you sing." I didn't even warm up, which I was taught to do. "I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'll never let you go When all those shadows almost killed your light I remember you said don't leave me here alone But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight '' ''Just close your eyes, the sun is going down You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire The war outside our door keeps raging on Hold onto this lullaby even when the musics gone, gone Just close your eyes, the sun is going down You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound Just close your eyes, you'll be alright Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound." I kept my eyes fixed onto the large stained glass window above while I sang. I felt the magic building up inside me and I released a golden glow as I repeated the verses for the last time. I turned to Morgan and Merlin after I was finished and the results were quite unexpected. Merlin's face looked like he had seen a ghost and it was slightly wet, I just assumed Morgan was drinking water and then she spit it out on her brother and her face was also full of sheer terror. "What?" I asked. "I just sang." I smiled at them, flashing my naturally perfect teeth. I had perfect teeth ever since the permanent ones started coming in, so I got to skip the braces. Were braces even a thing in the Enchanted Forest even? "That's not just The Siren's Song," Morgan said. "You are a Siren!" "What?" I asked. "Just because one of my aunt's accidentally drank a become a werewolf potion doesn't make me a wolf also!" "I can't explain," Merlin said, as he conjured a hologram in the palm of his hand. "But this can." I saw the unthinkable, the little pie chart hologram in his hand showed that I was actually about five percent human, but I had elf, siren, dragon, werewolf, pixie and a sprinkle of vampire in there as well. "What does this mean, that my parents have been lying to me for my entire life?" I asked in disbelief. "No, they've in fact known this up to the time your parents received the news that they were having twins. Look." Morgan stood up and led me out into the hallway to a thing hidden behind a large piece of golden satin. Merlin pulled it off and there was a large mirror. "What is this?" "It's called The Look Back, it allows the user to look back into their past." Morgan explained. I didn't hesitate, I stepped up to it immediately and said: "I wish to see when I was born." The mirror made this weird shimmering effect as I saw into my past. "Keep going Regina!" I heard a man say. "The first one is almost here!" '' "Was this-" I asked. "It is your birth." Morgan confirmed as I turned my head back to the glass. I saw the man pick me up from the blanket and hand me to my mother. ''"She's beautiful." My mother said, handing me to my father. '' ''"She is." He agreed. The moment was so precious because my parents had been wanting a child for years upon years. But then, at 2:12 PM on May 25th, 1955, I was born and my sister followed at 2:27 PM. "Regina," The doctor said. "I think that your daughter is '''her'."'' "Her?" My mother asked. "No. No. No!" My mother started crying as my father handed me to the doctor and he turned to the mirror and sighed. '' But what shocked me the most is when the doctor left the room and met up with one of his nurses, which shouldn't have surprised me at all. But it did. ''"One heck of a birth, we'll see her again soon." The doctor said to the bubbly midwife. '' ''"Yes, of course, Merlin." "Wait, Merlin? You deliv- Merlin pressed his finger to his lips and we kept watching. "Can I take this wig off?" The midwife asked. "It's itchy." '' ''"You can." The doctor said, smiling. '' ''The midwife pulled off her bright red wig and her natural long and curly dark hair tumbled from below. '' It was Morgan. The doctor made a shimmering motion over his face and I saw that it was a glamour spell. The doctor..... was Merlin. "What?" I asked. "You've been there the day I was born?" "There is more," Morgan said, kneeling down to my level. "More that we haven't told you yet, some will make you confused, others sad, others happy and others... will alter your life ''forever." The husk tone in his voice made it even more mysterious to me, but I didn't want to ask anything. I was too afraid, for my family, future, duties, dynasty, crown and destiny. Chapter 5: Secrets Revealed Serena's Notes: 'So, by now, I was pretty mad at my parents, Morgan, Merlin and pretty much every adult in my life. How could they keep this lie for all these years? Well, that secret meeting that I walked into that fateful night was one out of many. Apparently, Morgan and Merlin would come for a visit every single month since my birth so they could monitor my progress. It's a little stalker-ish, but I didn't care, the meetings had always been in secret. So twelve months in a year times eleven years of meetings equals one-hundred and thirty two meetings they've had! And those weren't the only secrets I was told and uncovered. '.................. Dinner was boring, we had fried fish stew, but I didn't really eat much. I was so confused and felt so alone, but who would care? Nobody. My parents lied to me, I was raised to be their perfect daughter, the one would take the crown when they were too sickly and old. The one who would bear them grandchildren and the eldest would be the heir. But no, I had to have some bumps in the road and I was blessed with title Enchantress. The one would save them from the Darkness, most powerful woman in the world of magic. And she was only eleven years old. After I excused myself, I made a beeline to my room and immediately went to mirror chat with my mother. To explain Mirror Chatting in a nutshell: There is a realm behind all the mirrors that basically connects them all and a person can cast a spell to make their mirror communicate with another one thousands of miles of away. It's basically the cooler, older and more magical FaceTime. Magic has only gotten more complicated from there... *Coughs* Magical imbalances, *Coughs* The Final Battle. It's basically just one big hot mess I pulled my white stool to my vanity and waved my hand over the mirror. It began to shimmer and finally, the face of my mother popped up. "Mom," I said. "So, how's everything going?" This is one of my many forms of manipulation: Starting sweet, then going in for the kill. I've actually used this trick a lot over the years, it really works. "Just a moment," She said, turning away and shouted. "Robin! Jolie! Ro! Carolee! Henry! Serena's on the mirror!" Who knew that a woman who was only 5'5" could make such a loud sound? Not me. My siblings and father came running over to see me. Roland and Carolee jumped in my mother's lap. "Serena," Caroline's face lit up once she saw me. "Hi!" I still can remember the sweet smile she gave me, which took a lot of stress off my shoulders. "What's going on? Why did they kidnap you?" I chuckled. "Carolee, they didn't kidnap me. They're teaching me how to be more refined and learn a little magic along the way." "MAGIC?" Roland's eyes grew as wide as the Earth. "When you come home next, can you show us some tricks?" I looked straight through him and to my parents and the made silent "No" gestures with their faces and body language. "Sorry, I don't think I can," I said sadly. "It's just too dangerous." I mean, I was only partially lying about what was going on! What could that hurt. "Sweetie, go play with Uncle Charming." Mom told Roland as she put him back on the ground. "Okay Mama!" He said and ran away. "I'll make sure they all get there." Jolie said, grabbing Caroline's hand and leading Henry, trying to keep him running into the wall while reading. My brother, the bookworm/nerd, always been like that, always will be. "Love you, Sister." "Love you too." As they left and Grandma and Aunt Evangeline approached the mirror, I went in for the kill. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT I WAS ONLY FIVE PERCENT HUMAN?!" I yelled as soon as we were in the clear. "JOLIE IS MY TWIN, AND SHE'S PUREBLOOD HUMAN!" I could see the fear in my mother's eyes. She knew what she did wrong, but she needed to protect me and the rest of the kingdom. I still haven't really forgiven her.... even fifty three years later... sorry Mom! "Serena," My mother said shakily. She was visibly trembling and tearing up. "We did this for you." "For me, why?" I asked. "I've seen the pie chart hologram thing, I know I am an elf, siren, dragon, werewolf, pixie and a sprinkle of vampire in there as well." "You don't transform though," My father confirmed. "In fact, you will probably never transform into any of those without a spell." "I also forgot to mentioned that I know about the secret meetings a little more and that Morgan was the midwife and Merlin was the doctor at my birth." My smile grew so wide, that it was now more psychopath than cheerful. My parents, aunt and grandmother shook their heads, they knew that there was no way of getting out of this. I had so many years of their lying evidence that there was really no point in putting up a fight. "Let me just say, that I thought that I was brought up in this perfect little world, with nothing wrong. I've known that I was the heir from the hour I was born. Heck, now that I think about it, I don't think I'll be taking up this little realm, when I have a larger responsibility on my hands!" It was true, I didn't even want to take over the realm now. "Serena wait-" My grandmother tried to say something. "No, no, no, goodbye! I can't take this any longer! So long, farewell!" I sang as I "hung up". .................. "Serena," I heard the faint knock and sound of a male voice at my door. "What is it Dad?" I asked, not moving from my position on the bed. '' ''"I want to talk to you, can I come in?" "Sure." I thought of this memory while I was shooting arrows outside about an hour later. Whenever I would fight with one of my siblings, my father would come to talk to me and try and help me work it out. My mother, grandmother or aunts never came to me, it was always my father, one of my uncles or grandfather. I was more of a tomboy than a princess in the early days and I still am, even all these years later. "But those days are gone," I thought. "Life isn't fair and life isn't a fairytale, even though my parents are fairytale characters..." I shot off another arrow as Merlin came out and asked. "Can we talk." I looked back at him, nodded and shot another arrow. "I'm sorry," He started. "I knew we shouldn't have kept those secrets from you, I told Morgan that, but she firmly disagreed. Unfortunately, there are more secrets to come, but you are too young to know them." "You shouldn't have," I replied, stopping for a moment and sitting down next to him. "I'm eleven, not five. I'm more mature than you think." "I know," He replied. "And we're sorry for that." There was silence as I went back to shooting the arrows and he asked: "I heard that you MirrorChatted with your family, how'd that go?" "Terrible," I admitted. "But it wasn't their fault, like you, they kept all those secrets and I lashed out at them. I don't care though, they deserve it." In that moment, I had not sour taste left in my mouth, I was telling the truth and I had no regrets. I still don't, even all these years later. "What happened?" "I just started sweet and then went in for the kill, it's really no big deal. Been doing it for years." I replied. "Shouldn't you... apologize?" He asked sheepishly. "Apologize?" I scoffed. "Please, try and have a mother who pretends that she really loves you when you're really a freak, I bet my father's been talking to her about selling me to a freak show. They truly don't care about me, just about their names, legacy and the next heir." "Serena..." "No, I will no longer be associated with those humans." I replied, picking up all of my arrows and heading inside. .................. Chapter 6: Category:Stories